|
Gathering and using data for decision-making is emphasized at every level of school-wide PBS implementation (i.e., individual student, classroom, school, district, state). The core ideas for gathering and using data upon which to base educational decisions remain as useful today as decades ago when they were first defined (Deno & Mirkin, 1978; Gilbert, 1978; Wolery, Bailey, & Sugai, 1988).
To be maximally useful in the implementation of effective behavior support, data should be (a) an accurate reflection of behavior, (b) collected with consistency and precision, (c) straightforward and simple to collect, (d) easily summarized and reported on a regular basis (weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc), and (e) reviewed regularly and systematically in response to specific evaluation questions to ensure meaningful action planning can be supported (Horner et al., in print). When a district or state begins organizing to implement school-wide PBS, data should be gathered and used to address the following questions:
1. Is the Leadership Team providing the resources, vision, and systems needed for large-scale implementation?
2. Are schools implementing school-wide PBS?
3. Does implementation of school-wide PBS affect student behavior?
4. Are schools implementing school-wide PBS perceived as safer?
5. Does implementation of school-wide PBS allow schools to develop better support for students with the most extreme needs?
|